Review Detail

King of the Neuro Verse is a story told in verse about a teenage boy who is struggling with ADHD and finds himself through one summer.

What I Liked: This book takes you into the past as it takes place in 1999, all leading up to Y2K, and has several references to that year as well. This was a fun addition as it brought back memories of that year and what it felt like to hear that the world would end over something we now find so simple.

The book takes you through Pernell's thoughts as he records them and various scenes that happen at school and at home. As you are hearing things through his point of view, some of the verses seem to be all over the place and hard to follow. This structure gives you an idea of what things are like for him, though, and how difficult it can be for him to process multiple things happening at once.

It was both frustrating and realistic to see how the teacher was treating Pernell due to his struggles in English classes. While this was frustrating and annoying to see his family not stand up for him, it was realistic that no one bothered to really do anything until he got the diagnosis of ADHD. It wasn't until that moment that people started taking him more seriously and working with him to ensure his success. It was interesting to see this shift in how Pernell was treated by others, and also how he connected with himself once he got help. I appreciated that this story had Pernell conflicted about taking medication but also had someone support him in that choice.

Final Verdict: King of Neuroverse is an intriguing story that gives you a glimpse into the mind of someone with ADHD and how they process daily life. This book is perfect for fans of All the Noise at Once, When We Make It, and a Kind of Spark. This book is great to show young adults how to advocate for themselves, how to navigate school when you learn differently, as well as to embrace who you are and allow people to help you when you are struggling.